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Case Report
DOI: 10.7241/ourd.20134.132
A TRANSIENT DRUG INDUCED LUPUS
ERYTHEMATOSUS- LIKE ALLERGIC DRUG REACTION
WITH MULTIPLE ANTIBODIES
Ana Maria Abreu Velez 1 , Vickie M. Brown 2 , Michael S. Howard 1
Source of Support:
Georgia Dermatopathology
Associates, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Competing Interests:
None
1
Georgia Dermatopathology Associates, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
2
Family Dermatology, Milledgeville, Georgia, USA
Corresponding author: Ana Maria Abreu Velez, MD PhD
abreuvelez@yahoo.com
Our Dermatol Online. 2013; 4(4): 511-513 Date of submission: 30.04.2013 / acceptance: 12.06.2013
Abstract
Drug reactions may mimic several dermatoses, including lupus erythematosus. We present an 80 year old female patient on multiple
medications, who presented with blisters on her hands and arms for two weeks, which then generalized to the rest of her body. The patient was
evaluated by a dermatologist, and biopsies for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) examination, as well as for direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and
immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed. The H&E biopsy examination revealed a mild, superficial, perivascular dermal infiltrate of
lymphocytes, histiocytes and abundant eosinophils; neutrophils were rare. No vasculitis was noted. DIF revealed positive basement membrane
(BMZ) staining, primarily with patchy Complement/C3c and fibrinogen; in addition, strong reactivity to dermal blood vessel was appreciated.
Antibodies to cell junction-like structures were also noted in the epidermis and dermis with these two antibodies. IHC using similar
immunoglobulins and complement components showed similar patterns. We observed that contrary to lupus erythematosus, neither IgG nor
IgM were positive at the BMZ.
Key words: aspirin; lisinopril; Nexium; hydralazine; Tylenol
Abbreviation: Drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DIL), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), basement membrane zone (BMZ), direct
immunofluorescence (DIF)
Cite this article:
Ana Maria Abreu Velez, Vickie M. Brown, Michael S. Howard: A transient drug induced lupus erythematosus - like allergic drug reaction with multiple antibodies.
Our Dermatol Online. 2013; 4(4): 511-513.
Introduction
Drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DIL) is an autoimmune
disorder, caused by chronic use of selected medications. These
drugs cause an autoimmune response that can produce a clinical
presentation similar to those of systemic lupus erythematosus
(SLE). There are multiple known medications that elicit DIL, but
three are most strongly associated: hydralazine, procainamide,
and isoniazid [1-3].
Case Report
We present an 80 year old female patient, who was using
multiple medications and presented blisters on her hands and
arms for two weeks. With the rash, the patient described flulike
symptoms. The patient also had a history of chronic leg
lymphedema. Physical exam displayed erythematous papules
and wheals, with no hyperpigmentation or atrophy. The patient
was taking oral simvastatin, aspirin 81 mgs/day, lisinopril,
Januvia®, Nexium®, hydralazine, Tylenol, and metropolol
tartrate. On physical exam, the lesions were present on the
bilateral forearms, hands and wrists, and focally on the face
and legs. Skin biopsies for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)
examination, as well as for direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and
immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed and processed as
previously described [4-7].
Microscopic examination:
Examination of the H&E tissue sections demonstrated a
histologically unremarkable epidermis. No subepidermal
blistering was noted. Within the dermis, a mild, superficial,
perivascular infiltrate of lymphocytes, histiocytes and abundant
eosinophils was identified. Neutrophils were rare (Fig. 1).
Direct immunofluorescence (DIF):
DIF was performed, and revealed the following results: IgE
(+, focal superficial dermal perivascular); Complement/C1q
(-); complement/C3c (+++, shaggy in patches at the basement
membrane zone (BMZ), in the dermal blood vessels and directed
against some types of cell junctions in the epidermis and the
dermis); Complement/C4(+, focal dermal cell junctions); and
fibrinogen(patterns and positivity similar to C3c) (Fig. 1).
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Fibrinogen and kappa light chain antibodies stained focal
subcorneal areas. Epidermal cytoid bodies were observed, and
demonstrated positive staining with IgM, fibrinogen, kappa
light chains and complement/C3c. Antibodies to Ro/SSA-were
positive, predominately with Complement/C3c. Anti-keratin
antibodies were seen in the epidermis with IgM (Fig. 2).
Immunostochemistry staining revealed similar findings to those
seen by DIF, and also reactivity to dermal blood vessels with
IgA (Fig. 1).
Figure 1. a. H&E staining demonstrates a mild, superficial, perivascular dermal infiltrate (red arrow). b. DIF, demonstrating
positive staining around dermal blood vessels with FITC conjugated fibrinogen(yellow staining; red arrow). c. Positive IHC
staining with anti-human Complement/C3c in patches at the basement membrane zone (brown staining; red arrow) as well as
around upper dermal blood vessels (brown staining; black arrow). d. IHC positive staining with anti-human IgA, around upper
dermal blood vessels (brown staining; red arrow). e. H&E stain, demonstrating dermal infiltrate eosinophils(red arrows)(400X) f.
DIF, demonstrating positive staining at the basement membrane zone with FITC conjugated C3c (yellow/green staining; red
arrow). Epidermal keratinocyte nuclei were counterstained with Dapi (blue), and the upper layers of the epidermis were stained
with rhodamine conjugated Ulex europaeus agglutinin(pink/red staining).
Discussion
Our patient was taking many medications that have been
associated with DIL, and thus this diagnosis was favored given
our pathologic findings. Clinically, DIL patients often report
flu-like and joint discomfort symptoms. Our patient reported a
chronic osteoarthalgia, and we could not determine if our DIL
diagnosis contributed to this clinical problem. Additional signs
and symptoms of DIL include myalgia, fatigue, pericarditis and/
or pleuritis; in addition, positive anti-histone antibodies are
noted in 95% of cases [1-3]. Our patient was negative for antihistone
antibodies, but positive for antibodies against SS-A/Ro
with Complement/C3c.
In DIL, the lesions classically recede after discontinuing use of
the eliciting drugs [1-3]. For therapy of our patient, Tacrolimus®
1% cream was prescribed 3 times a day topically, as well as
triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% topical cream. In recalcitrant cases
of DIL, it may be also necessary to add systemic corticosteroids
and/other immunosuppressive agents [3].
Similar to expected findings in lupus erythematosus, we observed
cytoid bodies with IgM antibodies. In addition, in our case we
noted cytoid body antibodies with Complement/C3c, fibrinogen
and subcorneal antibodies that are not classically described in
lupus. We observed tissue fixed deposits of immunoglobulin M
present in the cytoplasm of epidermal keratynocytes; however,
instead of the 3 reported patters described in normal skin [8,9],
our reactivity was present throughout the entire epidermis. Also
remarkable was the reactivity to some type(s) of likely cell
junctions in the epidermis and dermis, best appreciated with
anti-Complment/C3c and fibrinogen.
In conclusion, we note differences with classic lupus
erythematosus in our case, including lack of an H&E interface
dermatitis and the H&E presence of dermal eosinophils. Our
case also features immunopathological features that differ
from lupus; we noted positive antibodies to Ro/SSA, but with
Complement/C3c. Further, in DIF and IHC our case differs from
classic lupus due to a lack of linear deposits of IgG or IgM at
the basement membrane zone, instead, patchy Complement/
C3c and fibrinogen were observed. We also observed significant
reactivity to dermal blood vessels, but no vasculitis as noted
in selected classic cases of lupus. We also observed reactivity
to several likely cell junctions in epidermis and dermis, whose
nature remains unknown. Further studies utilizing sera against
epidermal and dermal antigens may be helpful in characterizing
these putative epitopes.
512 © Our Dermatol Online 4.2013

Figure 2. a. DIF, demonstrating positive staining at the basement membrane zone with FITC conjugated Complement/C3c (yellow
staining; red arrow); also note the multiple cell junction-like staining, visualized as small dots in the dermis and epidermis (yellow
staining; white arrows). b. DIF, with positive staining against cytoid bodies with FITC conjugated anti-human IgM (yellow staining;
red arrow). Also noted additional staining with this antibody as anti-keratin antibodies in the epidermis (ie, cytoplasmic antigens)
(yellow staining; yellow arrow), as well as to some type of cell junction-like structures in the dermis (yellow staining; white arrow).
c. DIF, showing positive staining within the epidermal stratum corneum with FITC conjugated Complement/C3c(yellow staining;
yellow arrow). Epidermal keratinocyte nuclei were counterstained with Dapi (blue), and the upper layers of the epidermis were
stained with rhodamine conjugated Ulex europaeus agglutinin. The white arrow highlights additional positive, focal staining
against cell junction-like structures in the dermis (yellow staining). d. DIF, displaying positive staining with FITC conjugated antihuman
fibrinogen, in a dermal perivascular distribution (yellow staining; red arrow); in addition, note the punctuate positive
staining against cell junction-like structures in the dermis (yellow staining; white arrows).
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Copyright by Ana Maria Abreu Velez, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,
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